United Center
Indoor arena in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is named after its corporate sponsor United Airlines, which has been based in Chicago since 2007 and has a hub at O'Hare International Airport. With a capacity of nearly 21,000, the United Center is the largest arena by capacity in the NBA, and second largest arena by capacity in the NHL. It also has a seating capacity of 23,500 for concerts.
Address | 1901 West Madison Street |
---|---|
Location | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Coordinates | 41°52′50″N 87°40′27″W |
Public transit | Green at Damen (beginning in 2024) GreenPink at Ashland Blue at Illinois Medical District |
Owner | United Center Joint Venture (UCJV) (Chicago Bulls 50%/Chicago Blackhawks 50%)[1] |
Operator | United Center Joint Venture |
Capacity | Concerts: 23,500 Basketball: 20,917 (standing room to at least 23,129[2] Hockey: 19,717 (standing room to at least 22,428)[3] |
Field size | 960,000 sq ft (89,000 m2) |
Scoreboard | Mitsubishi Electric[4] |
Construction | |
Broke ground | April 6, 1992[5] |
Built | 1992–1994 |
Opened | August 18, 1994 |
Renovated | 2009–10 (300 Level) 2014 (exterior) |
Expanded | 2016–17 (atrium) |
Construction cost | $175 million ($360 million in 2023 dollars[6]) |
Architect | Populous (then HOK Sport) W. E. Simpson Company, Inc. Marmon Mok |
Project manager | International Facilities Group, LLC[7] |
Structural engineer | Thornton Tomasetti |
Services engineer | Flack + Kurtz[8] |
General contractor | Morse Diesel/Huber Hunt & Nichols[9] |
Tenants | |
Chicago Bulls (NBA) (1994–present) Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) (1994–present) | |
Website | |
unitedcenter |
Opening in 1994, the United Center replaced the Chicago Stadium, which was located across the street. The first event held at the arena was WWF SummerSlam. Due to the lockout, the Blackhawks did not move in until January 1995. In 1996, the United Center hosted the Democratic National Convention.[10]
The arena is home to a statue of Michael Jordan erected in 1994. Originally located outside the arena, it now stands inside an atrium which was added in 2017.[11] The Jordan statue has since been joined by statues of Blackhawks ice hockey players Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, while a statue of various Blackhawks players is located across the street on the site of Chicago Stadium.
On March 25, 2021, the United Center became Chicago's logistical hub to support the city's efforts against COVID-19.[12]